make this house a habit
by anticute
Summary: PostIM2. Moviesverse. Another afterwards. Pepper and Tony settle into bed, and the old dynamics of a new relationship.


i'm laughing so hard that of all the fics i decide to drag out of my WIPs/land of misfit words, i ended up doing a post-IM2 fic? really? it's been hOW many years since IM2, exactly? how many events and tragedies have occurred since then? HOW MORE OUTDATED COULD I BE.

anyway.

i'm doing a massive rehaul of my fics and working on getting them crossposted to ao3. and in the land of misfit words, i found this...thing. i even tried to renovate it and make it a post-im3 fic. didn't work, ultimately. also the rating on ffnet has..changed...considerably. according to the scale? this is an M?

house a habit - we are the guests was the song inspiration, and just random lyric choice 'cause titling things is the absolute WORST.

**make this house a habit  
**_PostIM2. In the very aftermath, Pepper and Tony settle into bed, and the old dynamics of a new relationship._

* * *

"Yeah, could you not do that?"

Pepper pulls her hand away almost immediately, from her inspection of the lines across his chest, "Oh. Sorry. Is...is it still sensitive? The skin."

"No. Sort of. Sometimes. But not why I said stop."

She smiles, "...Tickles?"

_"No,"_ he laughs, "more like it's a turn on."

She rolls her eyes, "Please," but can't help the little smile she makes against her pillow.

"Also, that. That, you should stop that too."

"What?"

"Have some mercy on a man, Potts."

"Tony. I'm just laying here."

"Yeah. Okay," he just says, nods, then turns his head towards her, "is this weird? This is weird."

"Oh, for God's sakes," she just laughs as she rolls onto her back, "it's not weird. Well. No, it is, just a little, weird. Is it a bad weird?"

Tony shifts a leg, brushes against her, and he skirts away from the sensation of fabric against fabric, a jolt crawls across his spine, "No. No. It is just...weird."

New.

"That's because you're _you._ Just because there's no sex on the table, it shouldn't make this weird."

"Oh- _Fuck._ You had to- OK. Distractions, quick. Quick now, is that my office or yours? I hope it's yours. Just take- _Retake_ the job, Pepper."

She takes a breath, "At this point, I wonder if you're just conditioned to think that sex happens if someone's in bed with you. That is disturbing, you know."

"But _you're in my bed._"

"Technically, it's Rhodey's bed. Or rather, one half of his hotel room."

"..."

"Tony. First of all, no. Second of all, _no_."

"Got it. Too early to tell you my fantasies. That's fine. There's time. I'm open to hearing any of yours, just so you know."

"Third of all, no. And you have _no idea_."

"Elaborate?" Tony says, with a strained voice.

Pepper laughs, kicks lightly at his feet.

"It's technically the hotel's bed," he continues, "And paid with my credit card. Thus, therefore, conclusively, ergo, technically _my_ bed."

Pepper rolls her eyes, "Whatever," she makes her way out of the bed and walks over to the fridge to get some water, "if we're talking in technicalities, I'm the one who made the arrangements, and by the way - point of pride, while the hotel was fully booked. We're lucky they got us a room with two beds. So, ultimately, it's _my_ bed."

"Even better. Fantasy #3 fulfilled."

"Oh, God." She says with another roll of her eyes, as she gets back into bed.

"Fantasy #5 fulfilled."

"Please stop."

"That definitely doesn't belong in any of my fantasies."

"I want a bigger sign-on bonus, if this is what I have to deal with."

"Is that a euphemism, because-"

"I have so many regrets right now."

* * *

once again we put pepper and tony in bed and in true anticute fashion, no sexytiems. but hey! at least we don't have melodramatic angst!

where is rhodey you ask? who knows! he took off after that seal comment, but pepper, as reliable as ever, takes care of her boys and still got rhodey a hotel room with them.

i've missed writing tony and pepper banter, honestly. this was a bit rough tho, 'cause it's been decades. we'll see if i continue on editing new fics. WILL I EVER POST/WRITE FIC /AFTER/ THE IM3 TIMELINE? stay tuned!

don't stay tuned. i am not as reliable as pepper.


End file.
